When You Find Me
by ToujoursMiraculous
Summary: Alternative of Frozer! After Ladybug finds out Chat Noir's identity, she's left with a difficult choice to make.
1. Chapter 1

After seeing the trailer for Frozen this morning, I was instantly inspired to come up with this! That being said:

 **IF YOU HAVE YET TO SEE FROZER'S TRAILER, OR THE EPISODE, AS WELL AS ANANSI, I'D ADVISE YOU BOOKMARK THIS FIC AND COME BACK TO IT ONCE YOU'VE SEEN THEM!**

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It was just another typical day in the beautiful city of Paris. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Ladybug and Chat Noir had just defeated another akuma villain, adding onto their ever growing list.

The two still had a couple of minutes to spare before it was time to leave, so neither were exactly in a rush to head back to where they had been prior to the fight, or where they were supposed to be next.

Ladybug noticed billboards of Adrien's perfume ad in sight as she sighed dreamily, admiring them from afar. Chat Noir noticed the sudden change in her behavior and followed her gaze to the posters of himself. His eyes flickered and darted back to her as a sudden thought occurred to him.

"Adrien Agreste isn't the boy you mentioned before, is he?" he asked seriously, his tone pressing.

Her big blue eyes widened. "Ah- What? Pfft, of course not. Why would I? I don't even know..." she attempted to hide the truth to prevent herself from getting caught, and also to spare his feelings, but the harder she tried, the more obvious it became she was lying. The look Chat Noir gave her told her that much.  
Ladybug sighed. "Okay, yes. He's the boy that I told you about."

Chat grinned and took several steps towards her. "In that case, there's something you should know."

With his smile still etched on his face, Chat Noir closed his eyes and let his transformation go. When Adrien opened them, he was greeted to a shocked Ladybug, her mouth gaped open, completely frozen in place. That was understandable, he hadn't been planning on revealing himself until that moment.

He rushed to her, wanting to break the distance between them as soon as was possible, and cradled her hands in his. "You know how I feel about you, Ladybug," he began. She blinked in response. "Now that I know how you feel about me, I just couldn't hide it from you anymore. You had to know who I am."

She still didn't speak, she had barely even moved a muscle since he had detransformed. He took this as a sign to keep talking.

"It's perfect how this worked out. I was honestly worried that the guy you liked was someone else," he beamed, starting to get lost in his happiness. "I love you, Ladybug."

Ladybug. He loves Ladybug. When she pictured him saying that to her, it would be Marinette's name he'd say, not Ladybug's.

She let out a small gasp and broke her hands free from Adrien's.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his smile now turned into a frown. "Did I say something?"

Ladybug glanced down at the ground, trying to think of the right way she should go about this. Oh, did she ever want to be with Adrien. This was her chance to be with him, finally. But she could only be with him as Ladybug, because revealing her identity at this point was not an option. She had the safety of everyone she cared for, including him, to think about. And if she was honest with herself, she wanted Adrien to love her for who she was outside of the mask. A relationship just wasn't possible between them right now, and it broke her heart to realize this.

'Chat Noir… no," she corrected herself. "Adrien, I… I can't be with you," she breathed with a shake of her head, her eyes gleaming with tears that were threatening to spill over.

Adrien looked panicked. "Why not? You said you have feelings for me, right? So I don't understand…"

"I do, Adrien. I really do. But think about it: Ladybug and Chat Noir couldn't date, not really. Everyone would be watching us like hawks, and we'd only be able to see each other during akuma fights and stolen moments here and there. And Ladybug and Adrien certainly couldn't go out together, either."

"But Adrien and who you are behind that mask _can_ ," he held out his hand to caress her face.

"No, we can't," she brushed his hand away. "I told you I need to keep my identity a secret. As badly as I want to tell you, I just can't. In order to keep you safe, to keep everybody safe, this is how it has to be. I'm sorry," Ladybug's voice was slightly shaking, he realized he had never heard her sound so strained before. "The only way we could work out is if you loved the girl I really am...and you don't."

Adrien looked at her desperately. "I don't know who you are. I don't even know if I've ever met you. How could I…?"

"I'm sorry," she repeated again with her back was facing him. She threw her yo-yo dozens of feet up ahead, leaving Adrien alone on the rooftop.

Ladybug rushed towards the ice rink. She was running late meeting Luka. She took a moment to breathe, to compose herself.

"Marinette…" Tikki started, poking her head out of Marinette's purse. She was hoping she'd learn sooner or later of Chat Noir's identity, but he clearly chose a bad time to reveal himself. She was greatly concerned about Marinette. Rejecting Adrien was not something she expected from her, and she had no idea how she was going to handle the situation..

"I can't talk about it right now, Tikki, I promised to help Luka, and I'm already late," she insisted, motioning for her Kwami to hide back in the bag.

"Hey Marinette!" Luka called her over with a wave as she walked in the frigid building.

Marinette mustered up a smile and waved back. "Sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry about it. Philippe was just helping me out with some individual training. Are you okay?" he asked when he noticed her looking distant.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she lied lightly, waving her hand back and forth. "Let me just get my skates on and I'll be ready."

With a nod, Luka glided back onto the ice, leaving Marinette alone to put on her gloves, pads, and skates. She took a deep breath and let it back out, trying to let her thoughts of Adrien escape her mind as she exhaled.

Marinette stumbled around a bit, trying to get comfortable with her footing on the ice. Before she knew it, she had no problem staying on her feet. Attempting anything more than that was another story.

"Here, let me help," Luka offered with a chuckle. He held his hand out for hers, and after a couple of moments, she hesitantly took it.

He guided her along the ice, going at a slower pace than he normally would to keep her comfortable.

"Good job, Marinette!" Philippe called over with a thumbs up.

"He's right, you're doing great," Luka assured her.

Marinette smiled up at him as her feet began to lose their grip on the ice.

"You're okay, I've got you."

"I think it's time you try a lift!" Philippe shouted over at them.

"A w-what?!" Marinette stuttered, beginning to panic.

"I won't drop you. I'd never let anything happen to you," his eyes were intensely looking into hers, and she recalled the same look and determined tone Nino had when saving Alya from Anansi. She had wished that day that she had someone to feel the same way about her as Nino did Alya.

Marinette felt herself being spun as she broke away from her thoughts, surprised to feel Luka's arms wrapped around her. Before she could say anything, Luka was lifting her off the frozen ground, and she was in the air, spinning high above the ice. She almost felt like she was flying, very different from the way it feels when she soars above Paris with her yo-yo.

When her skates touched the ice again, Luka dipped her, gazing into her eyes with the same intense but gentle look from before.

"Bravo, bravo!" Philippe cried, jumping up and down, tearing Luka and Marinette from their moment. Mayor Bourgeois looked displeased sitting in the stands at the display on the ice.

"That was beautiful! Magnifique ! Très magnifique !" Philippe wiped a single tear away with his hand as he applauded.

"Philippe, you know I will not allow such elements in this program!" he bellowed.

"I don't see why not, Mayor Bourgeois. Did you not see how well they performed it? Simply marvelous! And that was just their first attempt! With this element implemented into our routine, we will surely succeed!"

"That may be so, but I simply cannot allow it!" rang Mr. Bourgeois' voice, it echoed throughout the rink. "I don't want to be liable if something were to happen. You will either have to come up with something else, or you can forget about entering that competition." He flung the papers he held up in the air - papers with the details of the competition written on them - and exited the rink, leaving behind a very disgruntled skating coach.

Meanwhile, Adrien had a fencing match to attend, but his heart just wasn't in it. His mind kept replaying the scene over and over in his mind. Ladybug finally admitting that the one she loves is in fact him. Not the side of him that she spent every day with, but a side of him nonetheless. His snap decision to reveal himself to her… now that he thought it through, it probably wasn't the best idea he's ever had. He knew just how adamant she's always been about keeping their identities a secret, and he broke that today. Adrien wouldn't be surprised if she was angry with him for it. He groaned.

Would she really only accept him if he fell for her civilian side? Was it even possible for him to find her, much less fall for her?

"Do you think it's possible for me to find the girl beneath Ladybug's mask?" Adrien wondered aloud to Plagg, sitting in the locker room, alone.

"Mmm, maybe," Plagg answered. "But she does have a point. The only way it could work out is if you were to date who she really is, and if she's not going to tell you her identity, it's up to you to figure it out."

"Ugh," Adrien groaned again, brushing his gloved hand through his hair. Then it hit him. Plagg knows.

"Plagg…" he began, the sudden change in tone made Plagg's skin crawl. That was the tone of someone who wants something.

"What?"

A smirk formed on Adrien's lips. "You know who she is…"

"Yeah," he drawled.

"Could you tell me?"

Plagg shook his head. "Sorry, no can do, Adrien. I promised not to interfere. This is something you're going to have to do on your own."

And the smirk was gone.

"Adrien?" came a voice from the door. Plagg ducked into Adrien's bag. Kagami entered the room.

"Oh...hi," he greeted her, his shoulders slumped.

"That wasn't like you, you almost never lose a match. Something's wrong," she stated, setting her bag down on the bench beside her as she sat next to Adrien. "You can tell me. Is it your friend, Marinette?"

Adrien shook his head. "No, but it does involve a girl."

Kagami squinted her eyes and her lips stretched into a smirk. "Okay," she drew out the word, extremely suspicious of him telling her the truth. "What's going on? Maybe I can help you."

Adrien took a breath. "I don't know if she really trusts me," he admitted. "She says she does, but I still doubt it. I know she has her reasons for not confiding in me with this particular secret, but it doesn't make it any easier. Especially since this secret is the only thing keeping us from being together," he stared glumly down at the floor. "Maybe she doesn't like me that much after all. Maybe I'm not good enough for her."

"Hey," Kagami reached over and touched his face, getting him to turn his head to face her. "That's not true, you are good enough. You said she has her reasons, do you know what they are?"

Adrien nodded.

"Try to think of it from her perspective. If you were her, can you understand why she may not tell you?"

Adrien thought about Ladybug and all the times she insisted their identities had to remain secret. Each time she reminded him, she grew sadder. She even told him that she would tell him once Hawk Moth was defeated. But if she really loved him, wouldn't she want to be with him now, as much as he wanted to be with her?

Not enough to risk their safety, and everyone else's, a voice in the back of his mind told him. She may trust Adrien, and she may trust Chat Noir, but she didn't trust Hawk Moth. He did have the misfortune of being affected by akumas way too often. If Hawk Moth managed to get inside his head and control him to go after Ladybug… of course he could never risk harm coming to her like that.

"I can understand exactly," he responded, sitting up straighter than before.

"Give her time," Kagami suggested. "Things won't always be this way, I'm sure everything will work out like it's supposed to."

"Thank you, Kagami," he smiled a smile that touched his eyes.

Kagami blushed slightly. "You're a really amazing person, Adrien. This girl is lucky to have you, don't forget that."

He nodded and reached in his bag, where a single rose lay. He was going to give it to Ladybug, but that didn't end up working out. "Here," he told her. "For being so kind."

Adrien took his bag and left the locker room, leaving a blushing Kagami behind, admiring the rose meant for Ladybug in her hand.

Philippe grumbled to himself, sitting in one of the seats, desperate to find something else to include in the routine. Nothing as good as the lift Luka and Marinette had done would be good enough, he was sure of it.

A dark purple butterfly breezed past Marinette, who gasped as she saw it head in Philippe's direction. She watched the butterfly mark light up around his face, and a wicked grin appeared.

"Oh no…" she whispered. Luka looked in the direction she was pointing. Luka took Marinette's hand and led her off the ice to the opposite side of the rink. They rushed out the door just in time to see the entire building become completely frozen.

"You should hurry and head home!" Marinette urged him. "Make sure your mom and sister remain safe. I have a feeling Paris is going to look like a giant rink soon."

"What about you?"

"My house isn't far from here, I'll be fine going back on my own."

Luka hesitated, but she looked confident, and he didn't want to waste time arguing.

"Be careful!" he shouted as he turned and ran in the opposite direction from her. Already, the buildings around her were coated in thick blue ice. She peered around, making sure not a soul was in sight.

Marinette sat on the steps of one of the frozen buildings and dug in her purse for a box. The box that contained the mini macarons for Tikki in case their extra powers were needed. She grabbed the icy blue one, and put the remaining treats away.

"Tikki, power up!" she cried as she tossed the macaron in the air.

Tikki caught it in her mouth and began transforming. "Stalag-Tikki!"

"Stalag-Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug transformed, spinning around on a new pair of skates. She glimpsed at her reflection in the shining ice and touched the tiara on her head. "At least I'm not out-of-practice anymore," she said to herself with relief. By the time her transformation was through, the entire block was frozen over, and she was unsure of just how much of the city was affected.

Ladybug skated in the direction she remembered seeing Frozer head in, though she had a guess that he was going after Mayor Bourgeois.

On her way, she spotted Chat Noir on the ice, struggling on his skates.

"Need some help?" she called over to him as she approached.

"I'm fine," he insisted, but then he fell abruptly on his back. She held her hand out for him. He almost didn't accept her help, but he sighed and took her hand.

"I have more to say to you when we're done... okay?" she said gently as she yanked him off of the ground.

"Sure," he agreed.

Ladybug wrapped her arm around his waist and hoisted his left arm around her shoulder.

"You won't be able to do anything until you can stay up on the ice," she reminded him as he looked deeply into her eyes.

"Right," he cleared his throat.

She helped make sure he could stay on his feet and move around on his own before they headed after Frozer.

It wasn't a particularly long fight, thankfully. Two akumas in one day, and their athletic activities in between them, was more than enough to leave them exhaust for days.

"I'm going to need more than a cat nap to recover from today," Chat Noir groaned as he plunked himself down onto the same rooftop they had chatten on earlier that day.

Ladybug watched him lie there, her heart starting to race in her chest as she anticipated what she was about to say.

"You know I want you to be happy, right?" she asked.

Her words caught his attention and Chat sat up.

Ladybug turned her head away from him. "I don't want you to feel like you have to wait for me, you know. I'm the one that's holding you up. You know you're free to do what you want, and be with whomever you want," she said sadly, but her words were genuine.

"I spoke to a friend today. She told me I should give you time. I really don't mind waiting for you," he insisted, but she knew deep down he really did.

"This friend of yours sounds like she cares about you," Ladybug glanced at him again. "And I know you would wait. But please, don't let your feelings for me keep you from living, Adrien. You're my friend, my _best friend_ , and I want what's best for you. Right now, that just isn't me."

A spark of fear flashed over his features.

"Don't worry, we'll still fight akumas side-by-side, and I'll still be your friend. Nothing will change. One day, maybe you'll fall for me, as me, and we can be together. But until then, open your eyes to what's around you, okay?" Ladybug bopped him on the nose and messed his shaggy blonde hair up a bit as she got to her feet.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she promised.

Chat Noir stood up. "Wait, but we don't have patrol tomorrow. How do you know you'll see me?"

They had school in the morning and Adrien sat in front of her in class. Unless one of them fell ill, there was no doubt he'd be one of the first people she'd see.

Ladybug laughed, gave him a wink and was off without another word. He had to admit, his hope that they could be together someday had been restored. He just needed to follow her advice and be patient.

The next day at school, Marinette arrived to find Kagami there chatting with Adrien. From what she knew about this girl, she and Adrien came from similar backgrounds, and had several of the same interests, fencing obviously being one of them. As much as she didn't want to admit, she was the kind of person Marinette wanted him to find. She must be the friend he was referring to yesterday.

"Hey Adrien," Marinette greeted.

"Hey Marinette!" he smiled, moving to stand next to Kagami so he could face Marinette.

"Hello Marinette, I'm Kagami. Adrien's told me so much about you."

Marinette glanced at Adrien and then back to Kagami. "Did he?" she shot him a crooked grin. "I remember you, you're the one girl Adrien was up against during tryouts! I'm so sorry about what happened, I really wasn't sure who won that day," she said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it, Adrien told me you were new to fencing. And everything worked out in the end," she pulled her phone out of her school bag to look at the time. "Oh, I'm sorry, but I really have to go to school. We should all hang out sometime," she insisted.

"That would be great," Marinette agreed. "You should come by my family's bakery, it's next door. You can have whatever you like there, my treat."

"Thank you, Marinette. Well, I'll see you both later," she waved goodbye as she left the school grounds.

"You okay?" Marinette asked when she turned back to Adrien.

He nodded. "I've just had some things going on, but they're okay now."

"That's good," her hand played nervously with the strap of her purse. "Kagami seems nice."  
A smile appeared on his face.

"You should take her somewhere after school today. I'm sure it'll cheer you up and make her happy, too," suggested Marinette. "She's new to Paris, isn't she? You could show her around, I bet it'll make her feel more at home."

"That's a good idea, I'll ask her later. Thank you, Marinette," he touched her shoulder to show his appreciation. "I have to go find Nino, but I'll see you in class later."

"Sure," she waved after him. "This is _so_ hard," Marinette groaned, throwing her hands up to her head.

Tikki popped her head out of Marinette's purse. "I know, but you're doing the right thing. I'm so proud of you."

"You were right, Tikki. Being friends is the best place for us to start. Friends are supposed to have their friends best interests at heart, so I can't be selfish."

Tikki giggled. "Things will work out, you'll see." 

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**Please let me know if you enjoyed reading this! I may have it be only a one-shot, but I could definitely add an extra chapter of you if you'd like to read it.**

 **Follow me on tumblr toujoursmiraculous**


	2. Chapter 2

After school, Marinette went right home. She didn't stop until she reached her room, only greeting her parents in passing. With no homework and about an hour to kill, she headed straight for her sewing machine and continued working on a project she started several days ago.

She really hadn't had much time to let herself process Chat Noir's reveal, but she thought it was best left that way for now. Until she did, she was going to try her best to pretend that she still didn't know, and treat them like two separate people.

About twenty minutes after returning home, she heard her mother calling her name.

"Marinette! You have visitors!"

She walked down her narrow staircase to greet whoever these visitors were, and saw Adrien and Kagami standing in the living room with a bag of pastries from the bakery.

"Oh, hey guys," she greeted timidly, hesitating at the foot of the steps.

"We stopped by because Adrien and I are going sightseeing around Paris, and were wondering if you'd like to join us?"

Marinette raised her eyebrow and glanced over at Adrien. He seemed surprised by her offer and rubbed the back of his neck. He seemed...uncomfortable? Maybe he wanted to go out with just Kagami.

"Thank you so much for the invite, but I'm afraid I have other plans," she looked away from Adrien's direction. "I'm meeting Luka soon."

Adrien's head darted towards Marinette immediately. "You're meeting Luka?"

"Yeah, he entered a skating competition, but his partner had to cancel. I'm just filling in," she shrugged it off with a laugh. "I'm about to leave, but you guys are free to come to the rink with me and check it out."

He stood there with his brows furrowed, his heart beginning to lurch in his chest, not saying a word.

"That would be interesting to see, don't you think, Adrien?" Kagami elbowed him gently in the ribs after a moment when he didn't reply.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, that'd be cool."

"Alright, let me just get my skates then," she gestured up towards her room before she climbed the stairs.

Kagami shot Adrien a look.

"What?" he asked.

She crossed her arms and sucked in a breath, as if she was about to say something. Then she let out a deep sigh. "Nevermind."

The walk to the ice rink was fairly quiet. When there was any chatting at all, Kagami was asking Marinette questions, trying to get to know her better.

"Here we are," Marinette smiled when they reached the rink. "Since neither of you are dressed for it, you probably shouldn't stay too long. It gets pretty chilly in there."

Luka saw movement in his peripheral vision as his skates grazed upon the ice. He froze on the spot and gave the biggest toothy grin when he confirmed Marinette had arrived.

"Marinette!" he called, his feet taking him towards her.

She smiled at the sound her name. "Hey Luka!"

"I see you brought some visitors! What's up, Adrien?" he held out his hand for a handshake.

"Luka," he greeted pleasantly, shaking Luka's hand. "Marinette told us you've entered a competition."

"I did. Marinette offered to be my partner for it after my original partner backed out."

"Ah, that's definitely Marinette. She's always there to help out when you need it," he shot Marinette a proud grin. She laughed nervously and looked down at the floor.

"She is pretty wonderful," Luka gave Marinette the same look Adrien had. He noticed there seemed to be something in the air. Adrien couldn't quite figure it out, but it was something between Marinette and Luka and he wasn't sure if he liked it. "Anyway, you're free to join us on the ice for a while before we start," he offered Kagami and Adrien.

"Sounds great!" Kagami exclaimed, already on her way to grab a pair of skates.

Adrien opened his mouth to call after her, but instead let out a sigh. "Sure," he said. Then he watched Luka join Marinette back on the ice.

"Come on, Adrien!" Kagami called him over as she tied one of her skates to her foot. "You'll need a pair of skates."

When they joined Marinette and Luka on the ice, Kagami was skating around like a pro. Adrien on the other hand, not so much. It was made especially worse, because his attention wasn't focused on keeping his balance, but instead he was focused what was going on a few feet away from him.

He heard Marinette's amused giggles and Luka's light chuckles echoing around the rink as they danced around the frozen room.  
Adrien liked Luka. He really did. And yet, something in him kept telling him he needed to be careful around him. Marinette was always so kind and helpful to everyone when they needed her. But today he wished she hadn't been so kind to offer Luka her aid.

"Adrien?" Kagami skated up next to him when he stumbled over his skates. "Are you okay? I can help you if you need it."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm good, but thank you," he brought his attention back to the skating pair. Kagami's eyes followed his gaze.

"Marinette's just as you said," started Kagami, noticing his focus never left them. She sighed and pulled him towards Luka and Marinette. "Marinette, I need you to do me a favor," she called over, almost demanding. "Help him stay on his feet? Thanks." Kagami then subtly motioned for Luka to join her. He looked at Marinette for approval. She gave him a half-shrug.

"Okay," he agreed, skating to the other side of the rink with her, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone.

"Hey," Adrien greeted awkwardly. He had no idea what to say and that was the only normal thing he could think of.

She giggled. "Hi. So by Kagami's request, I take it you don't do well on ice?"

He shook his head. "I...manage. I don't think I was meant to spend time on frozen surfaces. But at least I'm able to stay relatively upright while on it now. If I don't move much."

Marinette laughed again. "Where's the fun in that if you don't glide around? Here," she took his left arm and draped it over her shoulders. She put her right arm around his back. Marinette began to skate slowly, guiding Adrien along. "You need to get used to the feeling of being on the ice on skates. Once you've mastered that, and work on keeping your balance, you'll be good to go."

He turned to Marinette, her eyes set on the ice ahead. She hadn't noticed his expression became soft and warm as he looked at her, or that he stared at her for a few moments too long. This girl with him was just like Ladybug in so many ways. Always willing to help people out, even if it meant going out of her way to do so. Even if it meant a world of trouble. That was what he loved so much about Ladybug; her kind and selfless heart. Marinette seemed to have one, too.

Ladybug's words from earlier went through his mind.

 _"You're my friend, my best friend, and I want what's best for you. Right now, that just isn't me."_

 _"One day, maybe you'll fall for me, as me, and we can be together. But until then, open your eyes to what's around you, okay?"_

He could feel his heart begin to race in his chest. The feeling made him nervous, so nervous in fact, that he stopped paying attention to his feet. He began losing his balance, his skates sliding uncontrollably from under him. Marinette tried keeping him on his feet, but instead they both fell down onto the frozen floor. Adrien landed awkwardly on her, and he heard her groan in pain. He gasped and held himself off her her as quickly as he could.

"Are you hurt?" his eyebrows knit together, his tone riddled with concern and desperation.

"I don't think so," she breathed. "Just a bit sore. I'll be okay," she insisted. Then she made the mistake of looking into his green eyes, hovering mere inches above hers. Her breath caught in her throat.

Adrien wordlessly examined her face, her eyes, the freckles on her nose and cheeks….

"Uhh," Marinette swallowed. "Need help getting up?"

He scrambled off of her and onto his knees. Marinette got to her feet and helped him to his. They heard the sound of sharp blades cutting through the ice. Luka and Kagami were rushing over after witnessing their fall.

"Are you guys okay?" The two asked simultaneously.

"We're fine," Marinette replied with a smile.

Luka sighed with relief. "I think we should get back to practicing, Marinette."

"Okay," she agreed with a nod. "You two have fun sight-seeing," she smiled genuinely at Adrien, then Kagami.

"My lady," Luka held out his hand for her. After a nervous glance at Adrien, who seemed a bit unnerved by his choice of nickname, Marinette took his hand and skated away.

Adrien balled his hands into fists. That was his line. Well, pretty much. And of course that's not what he called Marinette but...it still got under his skin that he used it.

"We should leave them to their practice," Kagami said as she headed off of the ice. "And you owe me a tour of Paris!"

With one last irritated look back, Adrien let out a huff and stumbled out of the rink to join Kagami.


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette arrived home around sunset. They had a long day at the rink, and the tumble she took with Adrien had left her quite sore.

To relax, she went onto her balcony to listen to the sounds of the city, to breathe in the fresh air, and just get lost in her thoughts.

Once the sun was past the horizon, only the faint glow of light remaining in the sky, an unexpected visitor decided to drop in.

"I'm so sorry! Did I scare you?" Chat Noir apologized after he had hopped down onto the railing and saw her start. "I really shouldn't come up from behind you like that," he facepalmed.

"It's alright," she shook her head. "What's on your mind, Chat?"

"I…" He began. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say to her, now that he was there. Marinette waited patiently. "I stupidly revealed myself to Ladybug."

"And it didn't go well?"

"Well, it didn't go how I was hoping. Not really sure _what_ I was hoping for, exactly, since I didn't even think about revealing myself, but I hoped it would work out in some way that would mean that she loved me, too. She said the only way we can be together is if I figured out who she is. Ladybug wants me to _find her_."

Marinette was struggling under her calm exterior. The instinct, the desire to burst out her identity rose to the surface and was trying to fight its way out. She swallowed. "Oh?"

"I want to find her, more than anything. But there are millions living in and around Paris."

"Did she give you any clues?"

"She said she'd see me today, even though we don't have patrol."

Marinette smiles. "Then how do you know she didn't? Maybe you saw her and didn't even know it."

A look of realization washed over his face. "You're right! ...But I'm not sure if it'd matter, anyway." Chat's face fell.

"Why's that?"

"She wants me to be open to seeing other people. And I get where she's coming from, if I'm going to find her…But doesn't that mean she doesn't really like me?"

Marinette sucked in a deep breath in preparation and to keep her cool. "Is there anyone other than Ladybug that interests you, Chat Noir? Just take a minute and think about it."

He didn't really have to think about it. The first girl that came to mind was the girl he was standing with now, pouring out his thoughts and feelings about another girl with. A girl that messed with his head and heart. A girl that made him question everything.

"There is this one girl at school, but…" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he avoided eye contact.

"Chat Noir, when you love someone, you want what's best for them, even if it comes at a cost to you. Ladybug must want the same thing for you and doesn't want you to give up on living and experiencing your life. That's why she's letting you go. If she didn't love you, she wouldn't be willing to give you up."

"You think so? How do you know she loves me?"

"She asked you to find her so you can be together, didn't she? Ladybug's not the type to play games or lie. You just have to believe in her and the love you two have."

It was absolute torture not being able to tell him everything. She could feel that desire burning, clawing its way up her throat. So instead of telling him, her feelings of aching and frustration swelled and escaped through the silent tears that ran down her face. She quickly brushed them away when he wasn't looking.

"What about you, Marinette?"

"Hm? Me?" She blinked. "W-What about me?"

"Didn't you mention that you were having heart troubles, too?"

"Oh. That," she sighed.

Chat Noir turned to her, his undivided attention all for her. She glanced up into his eyes, studying them, wondering what she should say.

"You're still dealing with that, aren't you?" his cat ears drooped. "I can tell...I shouldn't have brought it up, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay, Chat. I am. I... haven't told him how I feel," she admitted, breaking away from his gaze. "I've tried, but there's always something that keeps me from it right before I get there. I've failed more times than I remember even," she laughed without humor. "Maybe it's for the best, I'm not sure he'd really be interested in me anyway."

Suddenly, Chat Noir took her by surprise and reached for her hand. Marinette's bluebell eyes grew wide and a gasp escaped her lips as his hand closed around hers. "Don't think that, Marinette. You're so wonderful, who wouldn't love you?"

She smiled to herself a moment, but then the words echoed in her head again. "He... told me he loved another girl once," she shrugged. "It's fair to say he doesn't feel the same about me as I do him, right?"

While she knew that girl was Ladybug now, that did little good for her. Though it made her happy it was Adrien that had loved her all this time, that doesn't mean the girl he'd move onto from Ladybug would be her. Kagami appeared to be taking that place. But did he love Marinette too? Did he feel that strange pull towards her that she always felt towards Chat Noir that even Tikki was kept in the dark about over the past year?

"Oh...I've been there," he turned to lean on the railing. "But that doesn't mean he can't love you. Or doesn't love you." Chat offered.

"He's just… so kind and good. Very smart, very talented," Chat listened, his mind thought of Luka as the guy she was describing. She continued on. "We've been through a lot together and I've loved him since the day he gave me his umbrella."

 _...Umbrella?_

She watched the switch flip in his eyes as it clicked. She was talking about _him_. And she wanted him to know it.

"U-U-Umbrella?" he stammered.

"Yeah, pretty silly, huh?"

"No! Not at all," he smiled nervously. Suddenly he felt guilty. Marinette had just confessed to him, but she didn't know that's what she was doing. He was working hard to calm down, to slow his heart down and bring back his composure.

"What I said before… I meant it. You're a wonderful person, Marinette. You never know what could happen. Things are mysterious that way," he winked at her. "Anyway, thank you for listening to me, it really meant a lot. I don't get to talk about Ladybug with anyone but my Kwami who doesn't really understand human relationships. So thank you," he pulled her in for a hug.

The thought of revealing her identity pulsed through her mind again. _Tell him, tell him, tell him_. It repeated with every quick beat of her heart. She lightly pushed herself out of his arms. "Of course, Kitty. Anytime," she smiled widely, a bit too widely even.

"See you later, Marinette. Sweet dreams," he waved before heading in the opposite direction of his house. She figured he would loop around to try to throw her off.

"What did you think he meant by 'you never know what may happen', Tikki?" she asked her Kwami who had just stuck her head out of her bag. "I think he knows it's him who I was talking about. Oh my gosh, what have I done?!" she threw her hands up to her head and slid them down to cover her eyes.

"I think he's right. You never know what may happen and the world works in mysterious ways," she giggled. "Maybe you'll find out tomorrow what he meant by that."

Marinette turned back to the city lights, the corners of her mouth slowly inched upwards. "Maybe you're right."


End file.
